Revelation 4:6-8 – “…Also before the throne, there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

The prophetic pictures of Jesus in the Bible take several different forms. First, there are prophetic symbols, like the sacrificial Lamb, the blood on the doorposts in Exodus, the Ark, the bread and wine presented by Melchizedek, etc.

Second, there are prophetic allegories, events like the Exodus (foreshadowing the Rapture of the church), the marriage of Ruth and Boaz (symbolizing the union of Jesus with the faithful church, the Bride of Christ), the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (illustrating the Great Tribulation), and so on. These events really happened historically, but God preserved them in the Word to teach us about his project of salvation.

Third, there are prophetic mysteries, details in the stories that appear to have no apparent significance in their original context, but which point forward to some aspect of Christ’s work or our salvation. An example could be the law in Deuteronomy 21:23 that a special curse would come on anyone “hanged on a tree,” foreshadowing the way Jesus would take our sins on himself on the cross (see Galatians 3:13).

Finally, there are prophetic typologies, people whose lives and actions teach us about Jesus- at least the details the Lord chose to preserve in the Scriptures. The biblical typologies generally teach us about Jesus in four distinct roles – as prophet, priest, king, and the perfect man. The Old Testament promised that a Messiah would come who would fulfill each of these roles. He would be our Great High Priest (making complete atonement for sin). He would also be the Great Prophet (as Moses said, “the Lord will raise up a prophet like me from among your brethren,” Deuteronomy 18:15). He would be the King of Kings (Psalm 2:2-12; Zechariah 14:3-9). God also showed that the Son would take human form, the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, to be the perfect man (see Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 53:1-12).

These same four prophetic types are apparent in the Four Living Creatures in Revelation – the face of the lion (royalty, kingship), the face of the ox (the sacrificial animal), the face of a man (the New Adam), and the face of an eagle (heaven, eternity, relating to prophecy).

The Lion – Jesus is the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. “See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5) See also Genesis 49:9; Hosea 11:10; Isaiah 31:4).

The Ox – The Sacrifice, the beast that carries burdens. See Leviticus 4:10; Leviticus 9:4-19; Numbers 7:3-88; Deuteronomy 25:4; Psalm 144:14.  Jesus is our perfect sacrifice.  He is also the one who can carry our burdens (see Matthew 11:28-29).

The Man – See Luke 3:37 (Luke’s genealogy traces Jesus’ ancestry to Adam, to show that he is the Second Adam and the redeemer of all humanity; unlike Matthew, whose genealogy shows Jesus’ royal lineage). See Romans 5:12-14; 1 Corinthians 15:45 (the last Adam). For Jesus’ title “the Son of Man,” see Daniel 7:13; Matthew 13:37-41; Matthew 25:31; Mark 10:45; Luke 9:22-26; Revelation 14:14.

The Eagle – See, e.g., Exodus 19:4.  Jesus is the Eternal Word.

Each one corresponds to one of the four gospels as well. Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ royalty or lineage as king, Mark emphasizes Jesus as the atonement for sin, Luke emphasizes Jesus as the perfect man, the new Adam (he traces the genealogy of Jesus to Adam rather than to Abraham), and John emphasizes Jesus as the eternal one, the Word, the Revelation.

The four curtains and gates of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness – purple, red, white linen, and blue – also illustrate these four aspects of our Savior. They corresponded to the four Gospels that were to come centuries later: purple=royalty (Matthew); red=redemption (Mark); white linen=perfect man (Luke, whose name also means “white”); and blue=eternity/prophecy (John).

Revelation 5:14 says, “The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” This was in reference to the blood of Jesus that enabled the opening of the scrolls in heaven.

The Bible also mentions the living creatures in Ezekiel 1:4-21 and Isaiah 6:2-3.